Confined with a Mad Malfoy
by Ceibhfhionn
Summary: Ginny goes exploring on the eve of Christmas Eve only to end up being confined in the Divination classroom for 48 hours with a Draco Malfoy who is apparently high on drugs. Who will be the first to walk up the walls and across the ceiling?
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER****: I don't own anything except the story. **

**AUTHOR'S NOTES****: Written in response to the "48 Hours" challenge thrown out by Cheelalaucha in the forums. And yes, I still can't get "Three Bloody Years" finished. My muse has disappeared. And yes, I know my "Experiencing Love: 100 Themes" ain't finished yet. This story is quite AU, as I have omitted the fact that the Wizarding World is threatened by Lord Voldemort. The students are just leaving a quite ordinary life- well, as ordinary as magic can be.**

---

Chapter 1

"Oh, for Merlin's sake!"

Ginny glared at the hallway that stretched endlessly. She turned back to see that the staircase that she had just climbed upon remove itself from the landing she was on, grunting and croaking all the way before it settled for the landing opposite, groaning as it merged itself with the stonework. Sighing, Ginny turned again, once more facing the hallway before slowly making her way across it, keeping her fingers warm inside her threadbare winter coat. Her shoes barely made a sound except for the odd squeak or two.

The weak winter sunlight shone through the large, white-paned windows that lined the entire left-side of the hallway. On the right-side of it, there were multiple paintings and weavings that were created centuries ago decorating it. The people in the paintings peered curiously at the young girl that had intruded this part of Hogwarts castle, not at all used to seeing students pass through this particular hallway.

Indeed, not many had the fortune to come across this part of the castle at all. But Ginny wasn't interested in the arts and crafts of the past. Her eyes were focused entirely at the beautiful, snow-covered view outside the windows. She smiled as she wondered about the Christmas presents that she would receive this year. Christmas was coming soon; in fact, it was the eve of Christmas Eve.

Mum would send her the usual sweater that clashed outrageously with her red hair along with the usual, home-baked treats and Dad would smuggle some sweets in when he sent the care packages for his wife. Her friends envied her gifts from her two eldest brothers, as they would send wicked cool things they had picked up wherever they were working. The twins would send some experimental pranks that needed test subjects which Ginny would gleefully try out on various schoolmates, Slytherins being the most victimized. Ron, being totally uncreative, would just place a box of sweets or chocolates at the foot of her bed, but she still loved him for it as he always remembered the Sugar Quills. Ginny absolutely adored them.

Then there would be the presents from her friends. Hermione, being Hermione, would give her a tome for some 'before-bed reading' or stationery sets and Harry, knowing her love for Quidditch, would wrap some Quidditch-related gift for her. Most of her male friends would likely supply her addiction to Sugar Quills or other sweet confectionary. The girls would give her some vanity-related item, ranging from _Madame Butterflies' Nail Polish _(guaranteed to make your nails radioactively bright!) to _Imogen's Lip Gloss _(achieve that puffer fish look that you can never have!)- not that she would ever admit that she liked to dress up sometimes.

Ginny realized that she had somehow wandered 'till she arrived at the bottom of a spiralling staircase. Her eyes crossed as she raised them to see how far it reached. It seemed to spiral a long,_ long _way upwards, reaching the top but suddenly stopping there. Ginny looked back to see multiple hallways leading to where she was standing. She sighed exasperatedly. Not wanting to guess which way would lead her back to somewhere familiar; she turned around again and started climbing the steps.

"This is beginning to get _very_ irritating," Ginny said to herself.

She had waked up this morning with a sudden urge to explore around the castle. Almost everyone had gone home for Christmas, leaving the castle in a comforting stillness and her in utter boredom. The Golden Trio were, of course, Siamese triplets that were conjoined at the shoulders- probably caught in some new adventure of theirs. Ginny had no wish to join their madness for life-threatening adventures this day, preferring to keep the feeling of calmness and peace around her for a little longer. However, right now, Ginny was beginning to wish that she had not felt so _adventurous _this morning, intent on exploring the ever-confusing castle.

When she finally reached the landing, she was panting slightly. Her eyes narrowed as she watch a silvery ladder descend right in front of her from a hole in the ceiling. Cautiously, she climbed up the ladder. Ginny emerged into the weirdest room she had ever seen in her life. She gazed in disbelief at the amount of circular tables and armchairs that were squashed inside the room. It was as if someone had bought two dozens of furniture on a whim and decided to cram them into an attic. Even in half-darkness, Ginny knew that the person who had decorated this room had horrible taste.

She walked over to the windows and drew back the heavy sets of curtains to let in the sunlight. Immediately, Ginny wished she had not. The entire room was an eye sore. Apparently, the person who decorated it had an affinity for the colour red. Everything was red. From the chairs to the lights to the scarves that were mysteriously covering the countless lamps. She looked around at the shelves on the walls and finally understanding dawned on her. This was Trelawney's Divination classroom. Ginny gave a snort of laughter. She was right, the woman had horrible taste.

Having listened to Hermione's severe advice, Ginny had not chosen Divination as an OWL subject. She was glad that she had not. Ginny wrinkled her nose in disgust as she searched the room with her eyes. Imagine having to sit through this kind of torture for hours each week. Ginny could not even bear the thought of it. Finally, her eyes rested on the armchair closest to the fireplace. Next to it there was a circular table with only a lamp covered with a red scarf and a crystal ball the size of her head sat on it. Ginny oddly remembered Lavender mentioning something about when one gazed into the crystal ball at high noon; one would see one's future life mate.

"Bloody Lavender," Ginny muttered, glancing at her magically-powered watch. It was nearly twelve o'clock, Ginny noted with a grin. She picked up the crystal ball in both hands. "Well, let's see what the future holds for you, Ginevra Weasley."

At first, all she saw was her fingers holding the clear crystal. Then, slowly but surely, clouds of white smoke began to react to her touch, slowly growing in a fast-forwarded way. Ginny raised an eyebrow sceptically as the ball became opaque. She squinted and saw a silhouette of a person. Her heart thumping, Ginny stared at it harder, the silhouette growing bigger and bigger until she could see the shape of his face, his chin, his cheekbones. It was definitely a he- the maleness of the aristocratic face could not be mistaken. She slowly made out the eyes, the nose and the lips. The lips were a healthy pink, the nose slightly too pointy for her tastes but still acceptable. The eyes… Ah, the eyes! They were the colour of molten silver, hovering between blue and grey. And she could see he had blonde hair, very fair blonde hair. The entire image was not very clear, rather faint as if it were a reflection.

'_I suppose this is how it should be. I can even smell what sort of cologne my life mate would be using!_' Ginny thought wildly, forgetting about her earlier scepticism. '_Wow! Maybe I shouldn't have listened to Hermione and done Divination instead of Arithmacy. This seems to be quite real to me!_'

The cologne had a woody, fresh,oh-so-_male _scent. Ginny imagined it would be very nice to sleep with a man who smelt so nice and comforting. The scent teased her with the offers of peace and welcome, calmness and protection, familiarity and exhilaration, all at once. Ginny closed her eyes, inhaling it in slowly; it seemed to be getting stronger and stronger. In fact, now she could nearly make out the _feel_ of her life mate. It seemed as if there really was a person there with her, right there, right then. He was coming from behind her, placing his head next to hers, whispering in her ear...

"And what is the little Weaslette doing here all alone for the big, bad wolf to find?"

The voice seemed rather quite familiar to her- in fact, it sounded a lot like a certain sneaky, Slytherin ferret she knew. No way can her future life mate sound like Draco Malfoy! _Malfoy?_

"Malfoy!" said Ginny in horror, her eyes snapping open immediately. She turned around to see the Prince of Slytherin himself standing behind her.

"Yes?" Malfoy asked inquiringly, his molten silver eyes on her chocolate brown ones.

Ginny shrieked, her suddenly nerveless fingers releasing the crystal ball that was held between them.

---

_**To be continued...**_


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER****: I don't own anything except the story. **

**AUTHOR'S NOTES****: Written in response to the "48 Hours" challenge thrown out by Cheelalaucha in the forums. And yes, I still can't get "Three Bloody Years" finished. My muse has disappeared. And yes, I know my "Experiencing Love: 100 Themes" ain't finished yet. This story is quite AU, as I have omitted the fact that the Wizarding World is threatened by Lord Voldemort. The students are just leaving a quite ordinary life- well, as ordinary as magic can be. **

---

Chapter 2

With Seeker-quick reflexes, Malfoy stretched his right hand around Ginny's waist and caught the crystal ball that Ginny had dropped. He brought the ball close to him and weighed it in his hand thoughtfully before he returned it to its original resting place, rather carelessly for someone who had just rescued a crystal ball from the fate of being a million pieces.

Ginny was still staring at him, utterly dumb and distraught. She was gave not even the slightest bit of attention to the crystal ball that was previously in her hands. It barely registered in her mind that she had dropped it. All she could do was watch numbly as Malfoy turned around to give Ginny his well-known smirks. She continued to stand like a dummy on display as he made himself comfortable on the armchair.

"Shocked you with my good looks, eh?" Malfoy said, quite amused. "I get them often but this is the first time I've received such a violent reaction, though." Sure, he had a number of fan clubs but this was the first time he had seen a girl scream in delight before going mute. The others either squealed like pigs or screamed like a banshee when he turned their way and flashed a smile or two.

'_Malfoy _can't _be my life mate!_' Ginny thought in horror. The same thought kept whirling round and round her head, as she stood there, staring blindly at Malfoy. Sure, he was quite good-looking- _many_ girls would tell you that. He even had a good body to go with it, thanks to all his Quidditch training. He also had the brains included in the package, seeing as he's in the second spot, after Hermione naturally. He even had some sort of charisma and qualifications as he's Head Boy after all. And he's the heir to the Malfoy fortune. All that put together and Malfoy would be the most eligible bachelor. But he had an absolutely terrible personality that matched the sneers that he often threw out.

"Honestly, Weasley! Did my good looks turned you dumb or are you like that all the time?"

Ginny forced herself to return to the physical world, leaving the mental turmoil behind. She shook her head roughly, trying to clear it of the thoughts that were playing squash in her head.

"So you aren't dumb all the time?"

Ginny suddenly realized he was talking to her. "What?"

"Glad to see that you learned how to speak," Malfoy said with an amused quirk at the corner of his lips.

Ginny tried harder to recollect herself. She was here, alone, with Draco Malfoy of all people and he seemed to be amused with something she had done. She noticed that he had not even started being _really _nasty, yet.

"Glad to see that _you _learned how to be semi-polite," Ginny retorted.

"I am always polite," Malfoy said, calmly. "At least, I am when I'm around people who are worthy of it anyway."

There you go. Nasty Malfoy had emerged. "Yes, people who are as horrible as you are at any rate."

"No, just people who do not irritate me. Which is what you are doing. Do sit down and tell me what the little Weaselette is doing all alone." Malfoy gestured to the armchair opposite him.

Without thinking, Ginny reached out a hand to touch Malfoy's forehead. "Hm, I don't think you're having a fever. Did you hit your head hard just now? Or did you accidentally feed yourself with _Fenella's Polite Potion_ (a spoonful a day to keep bad manners away!)?"

"I'm heart-broken, Weasley. Here I am on my best behaviour and you're acting like an absolute harridan." Malfoy said mockingly, putting a palm onto the left-side of his chest. "Do sit down. I'm surprised that your ox of brother would let you out of his sight."

"No, thank you. I find that I get ill when I'm over-exposed to you, Malfoy. Good day," Ginny said, grimly. She turned on her heels and was just reaching the spot where the hole in the ground with the ladder was when she realized that the ladder had disappeared and there was no hole in the ground at all. She whipped around and stared accusingly at Malfoy. "What have you _done_?"

"Well, I woke up this morning, had a shower and brushed my teeth. Then I dressed myself and went to the Great Hall for a hearty breakfast before going out for a walk with Crabbe and Goyle. Unfortunately, they came down with some stomach ache and had to go to the Hospital Wing. I had to explore the castle alone to keep myself from drowning in boredom. I went to look for Professor Snape but he was -er- _engaged_, and so I went looking for other amusements instead."

"It was too much of a hassle to join the snow fights outside so I walked around and somehow found myself here. I came up behind you and when you saw me you screamed and dropped Trelawney's ball. Of course, I rescued it and sat myself down to have a nice chat with you."

"And now you've asked me about what I have done, do tell me whether you intend to ask your future husband where he has been the whole day and whether he must describe all his actions to you. Or have I not explained what I have done in enough details? Would you like to know what I had for breakfast? Or what flavour my toothpaste is? Perhaps you would like to know whether I wear boxers or briefs, what colour are they or maybe you would like to see them for yourself," Malfoy said sardonically.

"I don't want to know what you have done the whole day! I am not interested in your choice of toothpaste or food either! Neither do I want to know the colour of your underwear, Malfoy! I want to know what you have done to the exit door!" Ginny screeched. She was ready to hit Malfoy good and solid. Her head was pounding with the rush of blood and her fists were clenched tightly.

"First of all, it isn't the whole day. It was only four hours. Secondly, I didn't do nuts to any door," Malfoy said, annoyingly calm. "And are you sure you wish to remain ignorant of my preference for underwear? I'm sure you would find it interesting." Malfoy gave her a sweet smile.

Ginny breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly. She counted backwards from ten. It was no use getting worked up over an idiot like Malfoy. "Malfoy," Ginny said calmly. "The hole in the ground where the exit ladder is supposed to be is gone. Do you know what might have happened to it?"

"Nope, not a clue," Malfoy said cheerfully.

Ginny rubbed her temples. "Do you know when it will appear again?"

"No idea."

"Do you know how I can make it appear?"

"Nope."

"Do you know how to make it appear?"

"Nope."

"Is there another exit?"

"None that I know of. You can try the windows, though."

"Malfoy, we're hundreds of feet above ground."

"I know."

"So how do I get out through the windows?"

"No idea."

Ginny was growing more frustrated with every question but Malfoy was just sitting there, happy as you please, answering all her questions rather cheerfully.

"Malfoy?"

"Yes?"

"Are you fucking_ high _on drugs?!"

---

_**To be continued...**_


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER****: I don't own anything except the story. **

**AUTHOR'S NOTES****: Written in response to the "48 Hours" challenge thrown out by Cheelalaucha in the forums. And yes, I still can't get "Three Bloody Years" finished. My muse has disappeared. And yes, I know my "Experiencing Love: 100 Themes" ain't finished yet. This story is quite AU, as I have omitted the fact that the Wizarding World is threatened by Lord Voldemort. The students are just leaving a quite ordinary life- well, as ordinary as magic can be. Thank you to my lovely reviewers. **

**---**

Chapter 3

Ginny, not really knowing what to do, sat herself on the armchair that Malfoy had earlier invited her to make use of. She drew her legs up and circled her arms around them. She put her head between her legs and proceeded to have herself a good sob. In her opinion, she felt that she had the right to sob her eyes out and make use of the fact that females use tears to let out pent-up frustration.

Or maybe she was just scared. Here she was, confined in a room that was in a blindingly hideous red colour with a person that would have been every girl's perfect knight had it not been because he had an absolutely horrible personality. She was probably going to die from dehydration or hunger or even from the winter chill. And she might have to use the loo soon and she did not see one in sight. Nobody would notice that she was gone because her roommates had all gone back for Christmas and by the time they searched for her on Christmas Day, Malfoy would probably had left only her bones for them. She had even left her wand in her room, thinking that she would not need it.

"What's wrong?" Malfoy asked, concerned. He was crouched down in front of her, peering at her. "Don't cry. Tell me what's wrong."

"I'm -hic- fucking stuck -hic- in a fucking -hic- Divination classroom -hic- with a fucking -hic- high Draco Malfoy -hic- with no fucking -hic- way of getting out -hic- or food or water or -hic- a bathroom!" Ginny wailed. "Nobody -hic- would notice that -hic- I'm missing 'till -hic- Christmas Day!"

"Is that all?" Malfoy said, chuckling. "You do cuss a lot when you're upset, don't you? There's a bathroom right there on your left- the door's hidden behind Trelawney's rubbish that she calls 'her source of Sight'. I've went through them before- utterly useless trash they are._ And _I'm not high so I don't think it's that bad being stuck with me."

"_You_ would -hic- think that!"

"-And didn't you bring your wand with you?" Malfoy continued as if Ginny had never said a word.

"I -hic- left it in my -hic- bedroom!" Ginny sobbed pitifully.

"Rather stupid, don't you think? You really shouldn't have left your wand away from your person," Malfoy admonished.

"I -hic- _know_ that!"

"Well, I brought mine with me. I can conjure food and water up. Shouldn't be a problem at all- quite comfortable, in fact," Malfoy stated, nodding as if he were giving the most logical and obvious answer to their current predicament.

"Can't you -hic- just conjure up -hic- the exit?!" Ginny said.

"Nope. That is part of the castle's magic," Malfoy said serenely. He took out a handkerchief from the pocket of his black coat and handed it to her. "Here, clean your face. You look like shit."

Even when he was being nice, he was a prick. It really boggled her mind that he could do a chilvarous thing and at the same time insult her without even thinking. Ginny calmed down somewhat when she inhaled the comforting scent of the cologne on the handkerchief. She took breathfuls of air with great big gulps. How she wished she had something warm to drink right now. She was absolutely chilled to the bone.

"Here, drink." Malfoy pushed a cup of hot chocolate into her hands, having conjured it.

Ginny watched him suspiciously to decipher if he was reading her mind or was he just being thoughtful. Ginny shook her head. Malfoy and thoughtful did not belong in the same sentence. She also noticed, somewhere in the back of her mind, that while her hands were cold and shaking, his were warm and steady.

'_Okay, Ginevra Weasley, get these thoughts of Malfoy out of your head. What was the word Hermione used to erase things in the Muggles' machines? Dit? Deceit? Deplete? Delete! Yes, that was it!_' She had to delete these thoughts of Malfoy from her memory space. '_Malfoy's a bad guy and you have to remember that!_'

'_Mm... _Bad_ boys..._' the sudden, unbidden thought made Ginny's heart skip a beat. She quickly quashed her imagination of Malfoy and her doing -er- _certain_ things. Quickly, she hid her burning face into the mug of hot chocolate in her hands. She certainly did not want Malfoy to know what she had been thinking of! She sipped the hot beverage slowly and watched as Malfoy looked around the room, whistling a soft tune. She didn't even know that Malfoy _knew _how to whistle.

"Malfoy."

"Hm?"

"Do you understand that you're stuck here, in the Divination classroom, with me, Ginny Weasley, alone?"

"Of course."

"That you have no way out of here until someone realizes we're missing on Christmas Day?" Ginny stated slowly.

"Yes," Malfoy said, giving her a look. '_Doesn't sound _that _bad to me_,' he thought.

"Why the hell are you being so nice to me? We're enemies, remember?"

"Were we?"

"We were, we are, we will be," Ginny said firmly.

"You sound so sure."

"I am."

"How come?"

"Because you are- can be a nasty git."

"I can?"

"Yes."

"When was I?"

Ginny retold the times he had mercilessly taunted everyone around her and herself.

"You called Hagrid a savage."

"I said I heard that he was one. It's his fault that he gained that kind of reputation if he goes around getting himself drunk and setting his bed on fire after."

"You think that only pure-bloods should be allowed in Hogwarts."

"Of course I do. Most of the Muggles that come in here think that they're so special, behaving condescendingly- when they haven't even heard of Hogwarts before they received their letter. They don't even understand _our_ ways."

"_You_ think _you're_ special and _you_ behave condescendingly!"

"I _am_ special so I reserve the right to be condescending. I am the sole heir to the Malfoy line, after all." Malfoy made no excuses nor did he try to defend himself.

"You told Hermione she looked like a giant Easter bunny with her teeth sticking out," Ginny said, glaring at him.

"Well, she did."

"You commented how many times that the Weasleys make more babies than they do money."

"Well, your parents do. Never seen such fascinating reproduction rate in my life."

"You cursed Ron so that he spewed slugs for a week."

"Didn't do that. Your brother was over-eager to curse me with a broken wand."

"You said the sweater Mum made for me was hideous."

"It was. Clashed horribly with your hair, it did. Who in their sane minds would let_ you _wear pink?!"

"You made life absolutely hell for Ron, Harry and Hermione."

"It's fun."

"There you go. You're an absolutely horrible ass-wipe."

"What did I say?" Malfoy asked, confused.

--­-

_**To be continued...**_


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER****: I don't own anything except the story. **

**AUTHOR'S NOTES****: Written in response to the "48 Hours" challenge thrown out by Cheelalaucha in the forums. And yes, I still can't get "Three Bloody Years" finished. My muse has disappeared. And yes, I know my "Experiencing Love: 100 Themes" ain't finished yet. This story is quite AU, as I have omitted the fact that the Wizarding World is threatened by Lord Voldemort. The students are just leaving a quite ordinary life- well, as ordinary as magic can be. Thank you to my lovely reviewers. **

---

Chapter 4

Draco was bored- no, he was very, _very_ bored. He was also very, _very _confused. Ginny had refused to speak to him after calling him a horrible ass-wipe. For the life of him, Draco just could not figure out what he had said wrong. He had tried to extract some clues from Ginny but the girl could really clam up. She had ignored him for an entire hour, not responding to him at all. Draco was exhausted of ways to get Ginny to talk.

He had tried everything from pleading to her dramatically to throwing out random insults at anything related to her just to get her to respond. And yet, the youngest Weasley remained mulishly mute. He had, for the first time in his very young life, spent an entire hour wondering just what was it that he had said wrong to displease the female Weasley. He shrugged as he thought back about their conversation. He did not think those warranted any cold shoulder from Ginny.

'_It would probably take a monkey wrench the size of a Hippogriff just to pry open her mouth_,' Draco thought sourly.

"Still refusing to speak to me?" Draco asked aloud. He raised an eyebrow at the sight of Ginny's pursed lips. That was when he decided that he was going to give the last resort a try.

"I'm bored. Are you bored? I get bored very easily. That's why I don't even have one relatively long-lasting relationship. I had twenty-two so-called relationships, though. They lasted no more than a fortnight before I _had_ to kick them out of bed. They were all boring me to tears. Honestly, can't the pretty ones have some sort of intellect? All those scatter-brains could chatter about was gossip."

Draco's eyes flickered towards Ginny for a second to see how she was reacting. There was still no reaction from that end. Never mind, he could go on and on and on.

"How many relationships have _you_ had? I'm sure it's not that many- what with that over-protective prime ape for a brother of yours that skulks in the shadows and chases away any suitors you might have. But I suppose that's a good thing. At least that way you remain innocent of _some _things. Unless, you managed to do it right under your brother's nose? No, I don't think you would have been able to- not with Granger around all the time as well. You would think she's a lesbian, the way she behaves around you."

Draco could see a vein ticking at Ginny temple.

"Then there's Potter. I think he's gay. He's always staring at me, you know. Every time I turn around I will see him somewhere near me, staring at me. Merlin, he needs to get some. All that sexual repression of his_ can't _be good. I don't want to wake up one morning to find myself tied to a bed and Potter hovering above me, ready to perform some sadomasochistic act. I'm intolerant towards pain, you know."

Draco smiled slightly as he saw Ginny tightening a fist.

"Then again, I think that Granger and your brother are interested in me too. I can see them whispering every time after they've seen me. Merlin knows what they were whispering so excitedly about me. I'm really not too enthusiastic about seeing either one of the trio in their birthday suits. Though, come to think of it, I don't think I'd mind being tied to _your_ bed. You must be nice to wake up to in the morning- even if you like certain sadistic sex games. In fact, I think that just made me horny."

Ginny's chest was heaving as she took deep breaths and let them out slowly. Draco wondered what they would look like under him. Merlin, he had better stop before he had to take care of some _business._

"Are you a virgin? I think you are. Don't worry- I have loads of experience, not that I'm bragging. I could teach you a thing or two, if you're interested. It sure will come in handy in future. But I don't think I like the idea of you using the tricks I will be teaching you on some undeserving fool. I shall just keep you in my bed, then."

'_Ten... I will not kill the bragging git._'

"However, I would expect my bed-mate to know everything about me. So, let me start you off then. First of all, I sleep on the right side of the bed. I really don't like it when my bed partners try to switch sides with me. I like the right side of the bed better. But the center of the bed with a warm, female body is even better."

'_Nine... I will not kill the perverted git._'

"Secondly, I don't like my lovers using my shampoo and soap after. It really puts me off as my shampoo and soap was created especially for _me_. I don't like people using my things without permission. Just because you're in my bed, doesn't mean you can do whatever you want. Not to mention, those custom made shampoo and soap are _really _expensive. And I don't want my bed-mates smelling like a _man_. I'm heterosexual, for Merlin's sake!"

'_Eight... I will not kill the solely-interested-in-his-own-self git._'

"Thirdly, I like mint and hazel flavoured toothpaste. I absolutely abhor that so-called toothpaste with their artificial fruity flavour. I do not understand how one can brush their teeth in an attempt to clean it with sugar."

'_Seven... I will not kill the git who does not know how to appreciate apple-flavoured toothpaste_.'

"And, oh yes, I often go commando. However, on very rare occasions such as today, I am a boxers-wearing kind of guy. My boxers must only come in black silk. Here, I'll show you."

'_Six... What the hell is he doing?!_' Ginny stared in confusion at Malfoy.

Draco was unbuttoning his trousers, about to show Ginny the type of underwear he wore.

'_No, wait. Breathe in. Breathe out. Five..._ _Oh fuck it!_' Ginny thought as Draco was about to slide his pants down. She squeezed her eyes shut and yelled, "_Malfoy_!"

"Yes?" Draco was halfway removing his pants and he stopped to look up at her. "While my family name is granted a lot of grace when it passes through your lips, I do prefer it if you would call me Draco, though."

"I _do not _want to know what your underwear looks like!"

"Are you sure? Cause you were silent just now, so I thought that your silence meant your consent."

"Yes, I'm sure, you pompous ass! I do not want to see you butt-naked!"

"My dear Ginny, I was just about to reveal to you my boxers-clad butt- not my naked backside!" Draco chided, grinning mischievously.

"It's the same thing!"

"No, it's not. Here, let me show you." Draco proceeded to drop his pants to his ankles. "See? Boxers-clad butt." He was tugging at the waistband of his boxers next, dragging it downwards, fully intending to divest himself of the article.

Ginny screamed.

---

_**To be continued...**_


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER****: I don't own anything except the story. **

**AUTHOR'S NOTES****: Written in response to the "48 Hours" challenge thrown out by Cheelalaucha in the forums. And yes, I still can't get "Three Bloody Years" finished. My muse has disappeared. And yes, I know my "Experiencing Love: 100 Themes" ain't finished yet. This story is quite AU, as I have omitted the fact that the Wizarding World is threatened by Lord Voldemort. The students are just leaving a quite ordinary life- well, as ordinary as magic can be. Thank you to my lovely reviewers. **

---

Chapter 5

There was a pause after Ginny screamed. Ginny could feel the blood pounding in her head. After a minute or two of the strange silence, Ginny slowly opened one eye to peek, checking if Malfoy had really divested himself of his boxers. She did not know whether she felt relieved or disappointed to see that Malfoy's bottom was still covered with the scrap of black silk.

'_I'm relieved, of course! Why would I feel disappointed?_' Ginny thought to herself. At the same moment, her eyes happened to meet Malfoy's silver ones. The git was _smirking _at her.

"Disappointed, Ginevra?"

"No!" Ginny's reply came rather _too_ quickly. Malfoy's smirk turned into a grin. "Why would I be?"

"Because you didn't get to see my tushie?"

"No, I- Wait, did you just say 'your _tushie_'?" Ginny demanded, trying to stiffle her giggles. "Oh Merlin's beard! Malfoy uses the word '_tushie_'!" Ginny erupted into a fountain of giggles. She was laughing so hard, she snorted once or twice.

"What's so funny about me using that word?" Malfoy demanded, as he calmly fastened on his pants once again.

"Malfoy's -gasp- trying to be -gasp- cute!" Ginny giggled, gasping for air.

"Excuse me, I resent that statement. First of all, I am not defined as _ugly_. However, adorable I am and I don't even have to _try_."

Malfoy's blithe reply sent Ginny into another bout of laughter. He sat down and waited patiently for Ginny to stop laughing. He watched, amused, as Ginny sprawled on her armchair, chest heaving and the sweetest sounds that were ever created flowed from her throat. He liked the way she laughed. It was a _true _laugh- not the silly, twittering laughter or that so-called breathless laughter that the other girls had. Merlin forbid that Ginny would ever laughed like someone had just placed an elephant on her chest.

"Not ignoring me anymore, are you?" Malfoy said as soon as Ginny had finally stopped laughing.

Immediately, the air around them became very still. Ginny had completely forgotten that she was supposed to ignore Malfoy. Ginny wondered why he was stupid enough to remind her of the fact. However, she stubbornly decided not to ask him and return to her vow of silence. She chose to get up and sit in the seat that was further away from Malfoy and slightly out of his line of vision.

"So, you still are?"

Malfoy did not even blink when he did not receive a reply from Ginny.

"I could go on you know."

Ginny just turned to give him a baleful look.

"Oh, don't worry. I won't bore you with the same trick twice. I've a lot of things up my sleeves."

Ginny wondered what would he do.

"Do you know why I stopped seeing Pansy?" Malfoy paused for a moment as if he expected an answer from Ginny. However, even if Ginny had deigned to reply him, he had continued on. "I found out she had gone through some semi-Muggle operation to enlarge her breasts."

Ginny stared at him in horror. She did _not _want to know that much personal information about his ex-girlfriends, thank you very much! However, she still refused to speak. This must be another of his ploys to get her to speak. And, she had to admit, she _was _a _bit _curious about Pansy's mammaries.

"You must be wondering why she didn't just use some charm or potion, right? Well, apparently potions _would _have enlarged her breasts- but they gave the irreversible side effects of having saggy breasts at the same time. Didn't you notice Millie's tits were hanging down all the way to her knees at one time? Of course, she had to go to St. Mungoes' to have them removed, rather embarrassingly I might add. That's why she's so flat now."

Ginny just continued staring at Malfoy in bemusement. She did not notice the difference of Millicent Bulstrode's breasts at all.

"And Pansy said the charms were particularly frustratingly complicated. And sometimes they give the user uneven results- they get one boob bigger than the other. And the user had to get them re-charmed every week. Rather time-consuming, don't you think?"

Malfoy glanced at Ginny as if he were really asking her opinion. He smiled to himself when he saw Ginny turn away as if she weren't listening.

"Anyway, I found out about Pansy's operation when we were into a heavy session of making out. I was just grabbing one of her mammaries when suddenly it detached and came apart in my hands. Imagine my shock at that time."

Malfoy sat up to look at Ginny worriedly as he heard a loud 'thud'. Ginny had apparently rolled off the armchair and was curling up on the floor, apparently in pain. Immediately he rushed over to her.

"Ginny! What's wrong?"

Malfoy leaned over her to see her face red and tears streaming down her face.

"Ginny! What's wrong? Where does it hurt?"

Malfoy was about to start panicking when Ginny still did not reply him. He grabbed hold of her shoulders and shook her. Ginny's entire body was shaking by then. Finally, Ginny made some noice. Suddenly, Ginny was gasping with laughter.

"Her boobs -haha- came out!" Ginny wheezed out.

Malfoy was relieved that nothing was wrong with the red-head and at the same time very irritated. Whether he was irritated with Ginny for acting as if she was in pain or with himself for caring whether Ginny was in pain or not, he did not know.

"I -haha- knew they were -haha- fake!"

Malfoy sat back on the floor and smiled as he watched Ginny ride out another laughing fit.

"Serves her -haha- right! Always -haha- shoving them in -haha- people's faces!"

Ginny slowly returned to normal. Her breathing still uneven and giggles threaten to escape every few seconds.

"Apparently, the medi-wizard who was supposedly trained in the arts of Muggle plastic surgery forgot that one was supposed to insert the silicon under the skin. Not glue it to the top of the chest."

That, weirdly, sent Ginny into another round of laughter.

"He -haha- _glued_ -haha- her boobs!"

Malfoy's lips started twitching. It _was _quite funny if you thought about it.

"No wonder -haha- she can't -haha- play Quidditch! Imagine if -haha- the Beaters had -haha- gotten a swipe at her? Or if the -haha- other Chasers had -haha- bumped into her? We'd see -haha- boobs falling -haha- from the sky!"

Malfoy threw his head back and started laughing. He could just imagine Pansy's expression if it had really happened. He imagined the expressions of the other players and the bystanders. What havoc it would have brought on. It turned out to be a laughing fest for the both of them. Malfoy's laughter triggered Ginny's and vice-versa. Ginny's laughter would slowly filter off but when her eyes fell upon Malfoy's laughing ones, she would start laughing again as she was reminded of the joke. Malfoy would continue to laugh because of the joke and also because Ginny's laughter was just too cute.

Soon, they were breathless and their muscles ached badly. That was when they realized that Malfoy's head was right next to Ginny's, the both of them laying on the floor like the hands of a clock showing six o'clock. They looked at each other for an instant before Ginny quickly rolled away, her face blushing furiously.

---

_**To be continued...**_


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER****: I don't own anything except the story. **

**AUTHOR'S NOTES****: Written in response to the "48 Hours" challenge thrown out by Cheelalaucha in the forums. This story is quite AU, as I have omitted the fact that the Wizarding World is threatened by Lord Voldemort. The students are just leaving a quite ordinary life- well, as ordinary as magic can be. Sorry for the long hiatus- I just lost the interest to write it after a while.**

---

Chapter 6

Malfoy frowned as he rolled over onto his belly to look at Ginny, who had suddenly stop laughing and was now strangely quiet and red in the face. He propped his chin on one hand as he watched her comb through her red tresses with her fingers, never once looking at him, her face continuously red and half-hidden away from him. He raised an eyebrow at her as he saw her glance quickly at him before shifting her eyes away from him.

"What?" Ginny asked, feeling uncomfortable under his scrutiny.

"I didn't say anything."

"You looked like you want to say something."

Draco shrugged as he smiled slyly. "How would you know when you're not looking at me?"

"I can feel it," Ginny snapped, crossly as she shifted under his stare. She could feel his gaze piercing into her very core, as if she could see what was going around in her head right now.

"Oh, so you can sense what I am feeling now?" Draco drawled.

Ginny gritted her teeth as she gave the silent treatment to Draco once again, refusing to answer such an open-ended question like that.

"Then I'm sure you can sense that I'm feeling a little horny right now, and my…" Malfoy trailed off as he watched Ginny's face burned brighter and she slammed her hands over her ears to keep her from hearing whatever he was going to say next.

"Pervert!" Ginny shrieked, squeezing her eyes shut as well, for some unknown reason.

Malfoy laughed at the sight the Girl-Weasel presented. He crawled over towards her, like a prowling predator that had just caught sight of its prey, his lips stretched in a wicked grin. He drew up so close to Ginny that their noses were practically touching.

"Ginny," he whispered so that the air escaping from his mouth would flow over to her lips.

Ginny's eyes snapped open at the feel of the slight air brushing her lips, only to find stormy grey eyes staring right at her own bright brown ones. She had a split second to register that in her head before she had to register something else- Malfoy had just brushed his lips against hers. Her eyes widened and before he could brush his lips against hers for a second time, she slapped him across his face, the sound of her making a handprint on his cheek resounding across the room.

"Ow!" Malfoy yelled.

"Serves you right! What did you go and do that for?!" Ginny yelled back, her heart thumping, her lips still burning where Malfoy had brushed his against.

"You didn't have to hit me so hard! Violent woman!" Malfoy roared, one hand rubbing against his flaming and slightly swelling cheek.

"You want violent? Let me show you what violent is!" Ginny snapped back as she swung her hand back intending to deliver another blow, to Malfoy's right cheek this time.

Before her hand could connect with his skin this time, he caught it in time as she swung downwards by her wrist, slowly squeezing the strength out of her with his own powerful grip. Unfazed, Ginny swung her right hand, squeezing her hand into a fist, intending to make a blow to his gut. Malfoy narrowly avoided her punch while still maintaining his hold on her left wrist, before sliding to her back and catching her right with his free hand, making her back face him and her own hands wrap around herself. Ginny gritted her teeth before head-butting Malfoy, realising too late that her head would only make contact with his chest, such was their height difference. However, her head-butt was strong enough to make Malfoy grunt and wince but not strong enough to make him release her.

"Damn girl! Stay still, will you!" Malfoy said, as he struggled to avoid Ginny's stomping feet.

"I will, if you will let me go!" Ginny shrieked, panicking as she realised that Malfoy was a hell lot stronger than she was, and she was without her wand.

Tensing her muscles, she kicked herself off the floor and propelled herself upwards and over Malfoy's head in one fluid move. This had her now facing the back of Malfoy's head and her legs wrapped around Malfoy's waist, her wrists still caught in Malfoy's stunned grip. She hooked her bound hands around his neck and started to tighten them together, intending to choke him with her arms. Realising her intention, he let go of her hands, but she now caught him in a strangle-hold. Gasping, he tried to shake her off, but her legs were clamped tightly around his waist. Not knowing what else to do, Malfoy threw himself onto the nearest couch, with her beneath him, intending for the move to choke the breath out of her, enough to make her release him.

He did not dare to do it to hard, in case he would break Ginny. Ginny gasped at the sudden impact of Malfoy's weight on her and her being trapped between him and the couch, releasing him as intended. Her legs had also released their strong grip around his waist although they were still partially crossed around him. Malfoy immediately took this advantage to turn around and incapacitate Ginny by gripping both of her slender wrists in one hand and trapping her legs with his. When she tried to head-butt him again, he used his hand to push her down by her forehead. The both of them were gasping and heaving for breath after their short fight, both of them half on the couch and half off. They did not say a word and continued staring at each other fiercely, each daring the other to move, each caught in a stalemate.

After a while, Malfoy said softly, "I am going to let you go, okay? Promise that you won't hit me after I let you go."

"Fine!" Ginny grounded out.

Malfoy took her at her word and immediately pushed himself off her. Ginny swung around to glare at him, rubbing her sore wrists. Malfoy did his own fair share of glaring as he moved his jaw, rubbing his burning cheek with one hand and rubbing his chest where she had head-butted him with the other. Malfoy then slid down onto the couch, sitting with his legs sprawled out, his hands stretched across the back of the couch and his head thrown back with his eyes closed. Ginny gulped as she saw the strong column of his neck, down to the strong arms and legs that had pinned her down. She used to think that Malfoy would be a weakling, seeing as how he always looked so scrawny. She just found out the difference of strength between sexes.

"Have a seat," Malfoy said, without getting up from his pose, one hand lazily indicating the couch.

Eyeing him warily, Ginny sat down stiffly next to him on the couch. Slowly, she relaxed into the softness of the couch as the two of them regained a normal heartbeat pace and breathing patterns. Ginny thought that Malfoy had fallen asleep, so she just sat there quietly, not saying a word.

"Are you okay?" Malfoy's sudden question surprised Ginny.

"Yeah, just peachy. You?"

"A bit bruised here and there but I'll live."

"Does it hurt badly?" Ginny asked softly.

"A bit," Malfoy said, grimacing. "Damn, you can _really _fight, woman."

"Er, sorry," Ginny said, blushing. She didn't even know why she was apologizing to him when it was his fault since he had started it by kissing her.

Malfoy did not say a word as he got up and started rummaging in his cloak for his wand. Finding it, he pointed the wand at himself and intoned the charm that would heal his bruises. However, it would appear that Malfoy was not as good with Healing charms compared with Curses. He swore as he realised the bruises still hurt a bitch, though he had only told Ginny that it hurt a bit.

"Let me help you," Ginny said as she gently took his wand out of his hand. "Please remove your shirt."

Malfoy raised an eyebrow at that statement. "What? Can't resist me now that I am so manly with all these battle wounds that you want to jump my bones right now?"

"No! It's-" Ginny could not continue as she started stuttering and shaking, her face bright red once again.

"Really, you are too easy to tease," Malfoy said, chuckling. He grasped the hem of his shirt and pulled it off him in one move. "Sexy, aren't I?"

"Quite," Ginny said, not actually realising that she had let it slip.

Surprised, Malfoy just stood there as Ginny quickly located all the bruises and scratches he had received from her. With a few jabs of the wand towards his wounds, he was healed. He touched the spots, expecting them to be tender, but to his surprise, they were completely healed since they were not very serious wounds to begin with.

"Wow, you're good."

"Comes from having six brothers," Ginny said shrugging, handing the wand over back to him.

"What about you?" Malfoy asked as he took back his wand.

"Hm, what about me?" Ginny asked, as if in a trance. She was too preoccupied with staring at certain deliciously naked parts.

"Are you hurt?" Malfoy asked, concerned, wondering if he had bumped her over the head earlier, which would explain why she was so spaced out right then.

Ginny snapped out of her dream-like mode. "I'm fine, thanks."

Ginny realised with a surprise that she really was fine, not a single scratch on her body. Even though she had been so violent during the fight, the only time Malfoy had shown displays of his strength was to hold her down, and even so, he had made sure not to do it too strongly.

Really, just who is the real Malfoy? The one who was a bigoted bully or the one who was gentle enough to make sure she was not hurt even though they were fighting?

Ginny felt thoroughly confused as she pondered over that question.

---

_**To be continued…**_


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER****: I don't own anything except the story. **

**AUTHOR'S NOTES****: Written in response to the "48 Hours" challenge thrown out by Cheelalaucha in the forums. This story is quite AU, as I have omitted the fact that the Wizarding World is threatened by Lord Voldemort. The students are just leaving a quite ordinary life- well, as ordinary as magic can be. **

**For someone who is as cooking-challenged as me, making pancakes is definitely not as easy as it looks or sounds. The pancake I tried to make from scratch looked like scrambled eggs because I have no idea how to flip the damn thing.**

**---**

"I'm hungry," Malfoy announced suddenly.

The two of them had been resting on separate couches, not saying a word to each other at all after the fight. The fight had allowed the both of them- or at least Ginny, to get rid of whatever stress and frustrations she had. Malfoy had only put his shirt on again after making Ginny look like a human-tomato hybrid for a few more minutes. Making a silent truce, neither of them made a peep while they had that moment of quietude.

Malfoy was completely sprawled over his couch. He was sleeping on his, with one hand on his stomach and the other dropping onto the floor. He had one long leg stretched across one arm rest and another hooked over the back of the chair. Ginny could not believe that _the _Malfoy was showing her such an unguarded pose.

His face looked oddly blank while he took his nap, like a piece of still painting, which was a contradiction to his body posture. While his body laid in such a way that seemed ungainly for a Malfoy, his face retained the ever-regal look of a Malfoy. His hair was tousled and his fringe covered his forehead, making him even more handsome in Ginny's opinion.

'_It is not humanly possible for someone to look that good even while they are sleeping._' Ginny grumbled.

She herself knew what she looked like in sleep- thanks to Fred and George. They had enjoyed taking pictures of her while she was asleep, then teasing her with pictures that made her look like a, to quote the twins, 'a pig in bed'. Ginny gritted her teeth at the memories.

Ginny was laying one her side, in what is known as the shrimp pose, using one hand as her pillow, her legs drawn close to her body so that she could fit her entire body within the two-seater.

When Malfoy suddenly spoke without opening his eyes, Ginny felt a sudden rush of blood through her body. She wondered if Malfoy had truly been asleep or had he been faking it. She wondered if he had known she had been staring at him.

"You're the one with the wand. Conjure something up yourself."

"Hm," Malfoy said. "What do you want to eat?"

Ginny suddenly felt a craving for her mother's delicious homemade pancakes with heaps of the maple syrup her mother would set out for breakfast on some days.

"Pancakes," Ginny said, her mouth watering at the thought.

Malfoy suddenly swung himself onto an upright position on the couch in one smooth move, surprising Ginny with that sudden move. He took up his wand and pointed it at the table in between them. He had intended to conjure up the pancakes from the house-elves' kitchens below but what appeared had Malfoy and Ginny stunned for a moment.

"Malfoy," Ginny said at last. "Is your wand broken?"

On the table sat the things they needed to _make _pancakes, not the pancakes itself. There was a huge, butter-yellow porcelain bowl, a small bronze scale, a bag of self-raising flour, a smaller bag of sugar, a carton of eggs, a bottle of vanilla essence, a jug of fresh milk, and a wooden spatula. There was even butter, maple syrup, honey, jam, ice cream and peanut butter- every possible thing to eat pancakes with. Neither stove nor pan was to be seen however.

Malfoy did not answer as he frowned at his own wand. Shaking it slightly, he tried another spell.

"_Wingardium Leviosa!_" incanted Malfoy, pointing at the bag of sugar. Immediately the bag of sugar floated over to where he wanted it, which was inside the bowl.

"_Diffindo!_" Malfoy said, jabbing the bag of sugar. The bag immediately split open making the sugar spill out into the bowl.

"Hn," Malfoy grunted.

Ginny laughed at Malfoy's expression. The poor boy was looking confusedly at his own wand. She watched as he tried once more to conjure up the pancakes they wanted. She chuckled when she saw how much concentration he was giving to execute the spell. She burst out laughing when once again; the same ingredients appeared in front of him, this time in bigger quantities.

Ginny's laughter finally died down enough for her to notice that Malfoy was glaring at her. And there was a piece of parchment stuck to the new, bigger sack of flour. She reached over and removed it from the sack.

"_We is very sorry but currently we house-elves are busy preparing for the Christmas dinner. We is very sorry but we hope you will enjoy the scrumptious dinner we will have prepared for you on Christmas night_," Ginny read out.

Malfoy stared at Ginny blankly. "What are we going to do now?"

Ginny turned to look at Malfoy, with an equally blank stare. "Cook, of course."

Malfoy's stare turned into one of disbelief. "Hell, no. You don't expect a _Malfoy _to cook, do you?"

"Merlin, no. I don't want to die of food poisoning," Ginny said.

"What!" Malfoy said.

Ginny gave him a look. "I'll cook."

"Can I try?" Malfoy asked.

Ginny gave him a long look before deciding that she was not _that _hungry just yet. "Fine. Come on."

She started sorting out the ingredients, putting aside the ones she'd need to make the pancakes from the one she would use to eat the pancakes with, pointing them out to Malfoy.

"You use these to make the pancakes," Ginny said, indicating the items. "You use this much for about six pancakes. Put them all into this bowl and then you mix it. Here, you try it."

Ginny handled the bowl of half-mixed ingredients over to Malfoy. She rolled her eyes when he merely used the wooden spoon to go round and round inside the bowl.

"You have to take the bits on the sides as well and mix it in," Ginny instructed, taking the bowl from him to demonstrate. "Don't just stir it like that."

Malfoy watched with amazement in his eyes as he watched Ginny whip the batter with an expert hand. "Let me try!"

Ginny handled the bowl over again and watched with stifled giggles as Malfoy tried to copy her style of whipping the batter. He ended up wasting bits of the batter as they flew out of the bowl when he became over-enthusiastic about it. He frowned as he realised that he was making quite a mess on himself.

"How come it's not like how you did it?" Malfoy asked, his eyebrows knitted as he glared at the bowl.

Ginny laughed. "You need practice. Come on, let me do it. At this rate you won't be eating anything."

"But-" Malfoy started.

"If you're hungry, shut up and conjure me some extra bowls and plates," Ginny ordered.

Malfoy glared at her balefully before doing as she had ordered. "Why am I taking orders from a Weasley?"

"Because you want to eat and I'm the one who knows how to cook here," Ginny said without batting an eyelash.

Ginny measured extra ingredients to make up for the batter that Malfoy had spilt. Malfoy watched enviously as she did everything speedily but perfectly. Satisfied with the batter, she turned to look expectantly at Malfoy.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"You want to eat batter?" Ginny asked, rolling her eyes. "Pan and fire, boy."

"Boy? Show me some respect, if not for my Malfoy name then at least for the fact that I'm older than you by a year," Malfoy said, miffed.

However, he made the pan and fire materialise without any more prodding. Ginny noticed that Malfoy had conjured the exact type of bluebell flames that she thought had been a specialty of Hermione's all this while.

"Smells good," Malfoy commented.

"Of course," Ginny replied.

She expertly flipped the pancakes on the pan, making sure that they were cooked entirely before tossing them onto the plates with precise skill. After making a substantial amount, Ginny indicated that Malfoy should now put out the fire, which he did without much fuss.

"All done," Ginny announced.

They moved over to another table to eat, leaving behind the cooking items for the moment. Ginny raised an eyebrow at Malfoy when she saw him conjuring up settings for the table. There was a red tablecloth, napkins, dining plates, cutlery, glasses filled with water from the _Aguamenti _spell and even a small lighted candle.

"Extravagant, aren't we?" Ginny commented.

"Malfoy," Malfoy said, shrugging.

"I'm wondering where all this came from," Ginny said, giving him a questioning look.

"Secret," Malfoy said, with a mock-serious face.

Ginny rolled her eyes at his childishness. "Tuck in," Ginny invited.

"Gladly," Malfoy said, inhaling the tantalising aroma of the pancakes.

Ginny watched as he pondered over what to eat his pancakes with. Her eyes widened when she saw him drowning his pancake in honey.

"You like things very sweet huh?"

"I like _you _sweet. Mm, sweet Ginny."

Ginny threw her napkin at him, making Malfoy laugh.

"Oh, sweet, sweet Ginny," Malfoy sang.

Ginny glared at him.

"My sweet, sweet Ginny, why won't you come to me?" Malfoy continued.

Ginny raised her knife, giving him a murderous look. "I can do a _lot _of damage with this."

Malfoy lifted his hands in a sign of surrender. "Fine, fine."

Malfoy took a bite of his pancake. "Mm, this is _good_."

"You should try the one my mother makes. It's even _better_."

"Heavenly."

"Exactly."

They continued eating in silence, the only sound in their room was the clinking sounds of the cutlery against the plate. When they've had their fill, the both of them just sat back and stared across at each other. Ginny was feeling rather languidly sleepy since she was now contentedly full and warm.

Then Malfoy sang ala opera singers, "And my sweet Ginny won't come to _me_."

_Thump_. The sound of a pillow hitting something hard could be heard.

---

_**To be continued…**_


	8. Chapter 8

**DISCLAIMER****: I don't own anything except the story. **

**AUTHOR'S NOTES****: Written in response to the "48 Hours" challenge thrown out by Cheelalaucha in the forums. This story is quite AU, as I have omitted the fact that the Wizarding World is threatened by Lord Voldemort. The students are just leaving a quite ordinary life- well, as ordinary as magic can be. **

**Sorry, guys. I was away for awhile because I had exams and stuff. Then the exams must have dulled my writing skill 'cause I faced a huge block when I tried to continue this. The Lighting Charm used in this chapter is my own. I used FreeDict's English-Latin dictionary for this. **_**'Productum' **_**means 'bring to light' and **_**'cella' **_**means room. I used **_**Productum Cella **_**as to mean 'light the room'. Anyway, here's the next installation of it. Enjoy.**

**---**

Chapter 8

Ginny was annoyed. Or maybe she was amused. Actually, Ginny was could not decide if she was annoyed or amused.

"Malfoy, are you always like this?"

"Like what?"

"This... I don't know- fidgety?"

"I'm not fidgety, thank you very much."

"_Fine_," Ginny sighed. "Are you always this _active_?"

Malfoy grinned. "I get more active in bed. Want me to prove it to you?"

Malfoy caught the cushion that Ginny threw before he got hit in the face.

"_What_? I was only offering to do you a favour- or should I say, to _do you _as a favour," Malfoy said as he grinned lasciviously.

This time Malfoy could not evade the cushion that Ginny had thrown with full force. It hit him hard in his chest, as unexpected as it was. Malfoy chuckled as he merely shifted the cushion down to his abdomen and hugged it there. In the dark, he could not see Ginny's glare, though he could definitely almost _feel_ it.

"Pervert," Ginny muttered.

Ginny had experienced a new side to Malfoy as the day came to an end and night fell. They had been stuck in the room for just a little over seven hours now and Ginny felt the twitches in her fingers grow stronger, as they tingled with the desire to strangle Malfoy. She ignored the little niggling thought at the back of her mind that she did appreciate Malfoy's presence as opposed to being trapped there alone. Malfoy had been a bundle of frustrated energy as he refused to just sit still after their pancake meal. Ginny suspected that the amount of sugar he had earlier was the catapult for this behaviour.

Malfoy was prowling around the room like a caged lion when Ginny tiredly told him to sit down because his prowling around was making her frustrated as well. He did so without any argument, surprising Ginny who expected him to at least give her some entertainment by arguing with her, although she would never admit that arguing with Malfoy was actually _fun_ if anybody had asked her. Then Malfoy started drumming his fingers against the table next to the couch he had plopped on, which soon turn into a semi-ensemble of finger drumming, feet tapping and whistling- all completely out of tune and beat. When he caught Ginny glaring at him, Malfoy reluctantly stopped his noise production and scowled back at her.

It did not take a minute before Malfoy took his wand out and started sending colourful sparks flying around the room. Ginny stared at them unseeingly as the room exploded with brilliant colours. When Ginny suggested that Malfoy should send them _out_ of the windows instead, so that maybe someone would notice them, Malfoy conceded without a word even though he did throw her a '_This-is-not-going-to-work-you-know_' look. Ginny merely ignored him, before realising after a while that he was quite right. The tower was one of the furthest away from the main part of the castle and nobody would normally bother with it as everyone wanted to avoid it as much as possible until it was class time again, for fear of coming upon Trelawney and her morbid predictions. And since it was the holidays, nobody would even _remember_ this part of the castle.

The house-elves were not about to go up there to light the fireplace as they did not expect anyone to be there. All the cleaning was done on the last day of class before Christmas break had started, so there was no need for the house-elves to return until the start of the new term. While Ginny groaned at this thought, Malfoy had started using Levitation Charms to dance crystal balls around the room before using Colour Change Charms to turn them into a myriad of colours. Staring at them, Ginny had suggested sarcastically that while Malfoy was at it, why leave the room decoration alone?

That gave Malfoy something new to do. He sent the crystal balls back in their new colours- a vast improvement in Ginny's opinion, and started changing the colours of the interior of the room. The thick red velvet curtains were charmed green with silver cords to hold them, the carpet charmed a deep moss green- basically everything was being charmed into the Slytherin colours. Annoyed, Ginny had stomped over and grabbed Malfoy's wand to charm them into the trademark red and gold Gryffindor colours instead. Malfoy, equally annoyed, snatched his wand back before charming the entire room back into Slytherin colours, including Ginny's clothes.

"You look stunning in Slytherin colours, I must say, Ginny," Malfoy had said, smirking at her.

Furious, Ginny tried to reach for the wand that Malfoy held high out of her reach. Malfoy grinned as he watched her stand on the tips of her toes without touching him for balance, her right hand stretched out to take the wand from him. Malfoy moved forward until his face was barely two inches away from hers and she could feel his warm breath. Ginny shivered at the invasion of personal space. She tried convincing herself it was because she was disgusted by the slimy git being so near her, and not because she was feeling quite attracted to said slimy git right then.

"How about you kiss me and I'll lend you the wand?" Malfoy offered, grinning sexily.

"In your dreams, Malfoy!" Ginny shot back, fisting her left hand quickly and drawing it back, fully intending to sock him hard in the gut. She planned to steal the wand from him while he doubled over in pain.

"Ginny, Ginny," Malfoy said silkily, as his right hand shot out to grab the fist aimed at him. "Really, did you think that was going to work?"

Ginny was concious of Malfoy's warm hand holding tight onto her fist. She realised that he had stopped her punch with barely any effort on his part and she growled. The difference in strength was very obvious and the both of them knew it, and knew that the other knew it too. Ginny stood there blankly, her mind seemingly useless for the moment as she stonily watched Malfoy slip his wand into his back pocket before his now-free left hand reached out for her right hand as well. He brought both of them together, and all Ginny could do was marvel at the difference of size and shape of their fingers and palms as she welcomed the warmth his hands were giving her own cold ones.

Malfoy's fingers were long and elegant, but big enough and thick enough that it could no way be mistaken for a female's while hers seemed small and petite in his. He rubbed her hands together before bringing both her hands up to his mouth and blew his warm breath on them, in an attempt to warm them up. His features were no longer expressing mischievousness, but one of annoyance now.

'_What's he annoyed about?_' Ginny thought crossly. '_I'm the one who should be annoyed. I'm standing here letting _the _Draco Malfoy warm my hands and I'm not doing anything to stop it because my body just refuses to listen to my head.'_

"Why didn't you tell me you were cold?" Malfoy said, still frowning as he tried to warm her hands.

"You actually care?" Ginny said incredulously, unable to stop herself. She was staring at Malfoy with wide eyes.

Malfoy immediately looked up to glare at her. He did not say a word nor did he let go of her hands. After holding them for a moment longer he finally released them and Ginny quickly folded her arms, trying to ignore the feeling of loss she suddenly felt. She sat herself down on the closest armchair, drawing her legs up. Malfoy, watching her actions with narrowed eyes, took out his wand and cast a Warming Charm on her.

"Thanks," Ginny said, not looking at him in the face. She could not get her mind to grasp what had just transpired moments ago.

Malfoy did not say anything as he crouched in front of the fireplace Trelawney had installed in the Divination classroom. Normally oppressive when it had a fire roaring for hours at an end on summer days, choking them with the thick sweet-smelling fumes from the copper kettle that hung over it- for no good reason as far as Malfoy could see, other than to give Trelawney an intimidating air- it was now cold and dormant. He prodded the blackened logs around with his wand before muttering the incantation to set them on fire. He threw in two new logs just for good measure, taken from the corner of the fireplace. He stood up, turned around and with a flick of his wand, shut the windows against the cold winter air.

"It'll be warmer in a bit," Malfoy said as he threw his clock on her. "Use that."

"Don't you need it?" Ginny asked with wide eyes, holding the cloak up.

Malfoy shrugged carelessly. "I'm well acquainted with cold weather. It gets a lot colder back at the Manor. The Slytherin common room is normally colder than this as well, being in the dungeons and all."

"Oh," Ginny said, unable to comment on that. "Thank you." She gratefully wrapped the extra cloak around her, inhaling Malfoy's cologne. As much as she hated to admit it, even to herself, she did like Malfoy's scent.

'_A bit too much_,' Ginny thought sourly.

Malfoy and Ginny sat in amicable silence as they watched the sun seemingly sink into the horizon. For the few minutes of sunset, Malfoy was completely still, not moving or making a sound at all. Ginny's mind was peacefully blank as she stared at the beautiful winter sunset, the sky a myriad of colours and tones blending into one another. Malfoy was sprawled out on his couch, looking completely relaxed, while Ginny sat wrapped up completely with Malfoy's large cloak. They sat there without saying a word to the other until the sun had completely disappeared and all that was left was a dark sky heavy with clouds that the wind had brought in, and shadows that loomed across the grounds.

Ginny shivered as she held herself tighter, feeling cold from deep within. She could feel the tingling of fear crawling up her spine, as they sat in the darkness. Then she wondered what they were doing sitting in the dark. It felt completely foolish suddenly. She turned to face Malfoy, about to suggest that maybe he could light up the room when Malfoy lifted his left arm, wand in hand.

"_Productum cella_," Malfoy incanted out loud as he flicked his wand, breaking the silence first.

'_Did he read my mind?_' Ginny wondered, feeling surprised and insecure.

Instantly the room was lighted up by the wall sconces, flames dancing in them merrily. Although now that it was lighted up and the horrendous decorations- horrendous in Ginny's opinion because they were Slytherin colours- had regained their glory with the shedding of light upon them, Ginny preferred seeing them to sitting in the dark with Malfoy. Ginny refused to admit that Malfoy's presence was definitely lending a calming hand, keeping her cool and collected, despite the fact that she was afraid of the dark and she was trapped in a room with no hope of rescue anytime soon. Ginny tried to remind herself that Malfoy was still a git and could be a danger at any time, despite the fact that he had been kind and soft with her, her reminder sounding silly even to herself as his cloak wrapped around her body seemed to scoff at her.

Ginny glanced over at Malfoy. She was surprised that he was still quiet. From her position, she could see that his eyes were closed and he was breathing deeply, as if he was sleeping. As if he read her mind again, Malfoy opened his eyes and immediately started making armchairs tango across the room. Then the armchairs were made to perform the swing dance round and round the room. The "male" chairs tossing the "female" ones one after another when switching partners.

"Cool, isn't it?" Malfoy said, grinning like an idiot.

'_I can't believe I thought Malfoy would be a danger_,' Ginny thought, giving herself a mental slap on the forehead. '_Idiot!_' Ginny did not know if she was calling Malfoy one or calling herself.

---

_**To be continued...**_


	9. Chapter 9

**DISCLAIMER****: I don't own anything except the story. **

**AUTHOR'S NOTES****: Written in response to the "48 Hours" challenge thrown out by Cheelalaucha in the forums. This story is quite AU, as I have omitted the fact that the Wizarding World is threatened by Lord Voldemort. The students are just leaving a quite ordinary life- well, as ordinary as magic can be. **

**To make up for my long absence, here's another chapter. The violin details were extracted from Wikipedia. The Hammer really does exist and it was bought by an anonymous bidder at an auction in Christie's, one of the world's largest and oldest fine art auction house. The Hammer was sold for US$3,544,000- the most paid for a musical instrument in any known public auction. I have ignored the fact that The Hammer was sold in 2002 and used it to flow with the Harry Potter world timeline. Incidentally, there is a reason why Malfoy was playing What Hurts The Most by Rascal Flatts. This will be revealed later on. **

**Thank you very much for your reviews. They are a great source of encouragement to me. Enjoy.**

**---**

Chapter 9

Ginny watched curiously as Malfoy examined one of the tables in the room. The table was in no way different from the rest- it was small and round, made of solid wood. Malfoy was tapping the table all around with his wand, seemingly checking for something. He frowned as he stood up, turning to the next table and examinig it carefully as well. Ginny was fighting to hold back the urge to ask Malfoy what in Athena' wisdom was he doing when he stood up once again, this time looking very pleased.

"_Dissendium!_"

Ginny gave a little jump when Malfoy suddenly broke off one of the table's legs. "Malfoy, what-"

Ginny stopped mid-sentence, staring warily at Malfoy as he strode towards her with his wand held tight in his hand. When he stopped right in front of her without saying a word, his face expressionless, Ginny felt her whole body tense up in apprehension. She flinched and squeezed her eyes shut when she saw Malfoy reached out with his right hand.

"Malfoy!" Ginny squeaked, pressing against the back of the armchair in an attempt to evade Malfoy's outstretched hand.

Malfoy did not reply. Ginny kept anticipating the pain she thought that Malfoy had intended to give her, refusing to open her eyes. She jumped when she felt his hand run through her hair, tugging lightly. She shivered as his fingers dragged through her long locks, and finally... nothing. Confused, Ginny opened her eyes. Malfoy had a twitch at the corner of his lips, as if he was trying to keep himself from smiling or laughing. He glanced at her before turning around and returning to where the tables were- one whole and one with a leg missing.

'_I have _got _to be the biggest idiot_,' Ginny thought, now furious with herself as she watched Malfoy's back. '_I could have moved away, I could have hit back but all I did was shrink away and squeak, wrapped up in _his _cloak?! Good Merlin! I must be losing some part of my brain. Most likely the logical thinking part._'

She saw that Malfoy was holding a few strands of her hair in his hand. He was running his wand up and down them. Malfoy then nodded at them, as if they satisfied whatever criteria he had in his mind. He laid a few on the whole table, and one on the broken leg. Ginny watched with wide eyes as he Transfigured them before her, turning the whole table into a violin and the broken leg into a bow. Malfoy laid his wand down and brought the Transfigured pieces up to eye level, scrutinising them. He tweaked with the pegbox a bit, lightly plucking the strings with an elegant finger, before nodding at the soft sounds they made.

"This will do," Malfoy said, satisfied.

"Will do what?" Ginny could not resist asking, stupid as the question sounded.

"This."

Malfoy proceeded to place the violin on his right shoulder, resting his chin on it before drawing the bow across the strings with his left hand. Malfoy warmed up with first playing the scales, then he started his piece. Ginny recognised the melody as one from a Muggle country band named Rascal Flatts. Hermione had introduced the band to her and Ginny had completely fallen in love with country music since then. Malfoy was playing 'What Hurts The Most'. She did not know what she was more surprised at- that Malfoy knew how to play the violin or that he knew a Muggle song.

Ginny stared, utterly enthralled by Malfoy's playing. She acknowledged that Malfoy was indeed skillful, his elegant fingers drawing sounds out from the violin's strings, sounds that she never thought a person like Malfoy, the horrible git he was, would be able to emit. The song completely tore her apart with the sadness that flowed behind it, and at the same time sent her heart racing as she marveled and applauded the skill and the person. She stared, unable to understand the person before her. There were so many sides to him, and it seemed that she was seeing the more sensitive side for tonight. Perhaps he had split personalities where the horrible one emerges during daylight and goes to sleep when night falls.

Ginny refused to let her thoughts wander to a tiny corner of her mind that said Malfoy looked quite charming and handsome right then. His fringe was messily covering his forehead, his eyelashes thick and long on his cheeks as he played with his eyes closed. Finally, as the song came to an end, Malfoy slowly opened his eyes, revealing piercing grey eyes. For a moment, they held each other's stares before Ginny turned her head away.

"Um," Ginny cleared her throat, unable to think of anything to say. "Y-you play very well."

"Thank you," Malfoy said softly.

There was a short pause, the tension thick in the air. Ginny was feeling uncomfortable with the unexpected silence.

"How long have you played the violin?" Ginny asked, making small talk.

"Since I was five."

"D-do you have many violins at home?" Ginny imagined Malfoy, being a Malfoy, would probably have an entire collection.

"Two."

Surprised, Ginny looked at him. "Only two?"

Malfoy gave her a knowing smile. "Just two. One's a Stradivarius made in 1707, named The Hammer, another is a Guarneri- the last one made by Giuseppe just before he died. I had one other Turin Guadagnini that I learned with before I gave it away."

"I-I'm sorry. I'm not very knowledgeable about violins," Ginny said, blushing.

Once more, Malfoy surprised Ginny when he did not remark disparagingly at her limited knowledge. "Violins from Giovanni Battista Guadagnini's period in Turin, Italy, are generally the best works he ever had. It's also known as a poor man's Strad, as reference to a Stradivarius- although the price right now will fetch a million Galleons, it still pales in comparison the price of a Stradivarius, which can fetch over five million Galleons. Stradivarius and _del Gesù_, or Guadagnini, instruments are the finest violins ever made. The _del Gesù_ has been in the family for a few centuries now but father recently acquired the Stradivarius for my sixteenth birthday from a Muggle auction. He bid anonymously, of course."

"I-I see," Ginny said, for the lack of something more substantial to say.

Ginny spared a glance towards him and saw him staring at her, his face a jumble of emotions. Malfoy noticed her glance and immediately turned away bodily.

"W-what song would you like me to play?" Malfoy asked, a slight tremor in his voice.

"Anything," Ginny said. "You play beautifully. I'd enjoy anything you play."

Malfoy did not- could not, reply to that statement. He merely picked his instruments up again and started on a new song.

---

_**To be continued...**_


	10. Chapter 10

**DISCLAIMER****: I don't own anything except the story. **

**AUTHOR'S NOTES****: Written in response to the "48 Hours" challenge thrown out by Cheelalaucha in the forums. This story is quite AU, as I have omitted the fact that the Wizarding World is threatened by Lord Voldemort. The students are just leaving a quite ordinary life- well, as ordinary as magic can be. **

**Thank you all for your lovely reviews. Please excuse me if I have not replied your review personally. I will try to do so; however, right now I'm busy with work and university applications. I've just gotten back my A Levels results and they suck ****really**** badly. Anyway, here's the next instalment of the story. By the way, there really is the existence of Dugbogs that love eating Mandrakes in J.K. Rowling's world, according to Harry Potter Lexicon. Enjoy.**

**---**

Chapter 10

Malfoy stopped playing as soon as he realised that the room was unusually quiet. He glanced over towards Ginny's direction, only to see that his only audience had fallen asleep. Gently, he laid down his violin and bow onto a table. Stretching his arms upward, he grimaced at the condition of his shoulder and neck muscles. They were sore from being in a cramped situation for over two hours. His muscles had forgotten the memory of practicing the violin for hours at a time. As he flexed his fingers, Malfoy glanced over Ginny's sleeping form. It had been a long time since he had performed for someone.

Malfoy had hated performing for anyone except his parents. He felt as if he was being scrutinised like a Muggle item under Arthur Weasley's fascinated gaze- except, the audience of Malfoy's performances were not exactly fascinated by his skill. They were most possibly waiting for him to make a mistake, so that they could poke fun at the Malfoy name later. The stress of performing for such pathetic audiences, who never knew how to enjoy the wondrous sounds of the string instrument, made Malfoy give up the violin. After he had given up performing, Malfoy had refused to touch a violin ever again- except when he was within the relative comfort of Malfoy Manor, playing only for the beings who lived in the Manor but never for the guests.

But somehow tonight, he had wanted to perform for Ginny. He had wanted her to see this side of him for some unknown reason. Maybe he had just wanted to impress her? To make her think better of him? Or maybe Malfoy had hoped that Ginny would be able to read the hidden message within the songs, to feel from the melody what Malfoy had wanted to tell her but was unable to put in verbal words. As he gazed at Ginny, Malfoy wondered if Ginny had possibly been able to decipher the message.

Malfoy quietly moved to where Ginny curled in sleep. He took out his wand to dim the lights from the wall scones. Realising that she would wake up with sore muscles and a sprained neck if she continued to sleep in that armchair in her current position, he waved his wand to cast an Enlargement Charm on the armchair and to put a few cushions under Ginny's head. Malfoy started when Ginny shifted and sighed in her sleep, stretching from her cramped position gladly. He smiled as he watched her throw the offending article that was constricting her movements away- his cloak. He bent down to pick it up and laid it over her, making sure to cover her entirely.

He stood back and watched, in a dazed mode, as Ginny snuggled deeper within the comforts of his cloak. She seemed to be very comfortable with his scent on his cloak. Unconsciously, his hand had reached out to brush her hair away from her face. He blinked, his heart skipping a beat, when Ginny suddenly opened her eyes. Her brown eyes were gazing directly at his own grey ones, not a hint of sleep in them.

"What are you doing, Malfoy?" Ginny's voice was clear and concise, as if she had never fallen asleep.

"Er-" Malfoy cleared his throat. "You looked cold, so I thought I'd tuck you under my cloak."

"Don't be stupid."

Malfoy immediately frowned at her sentence. "What-" He was about to start off about how ungrateful she was.

"What about you?"

"Wha-?" Malfoy said, unable to grasp what she had just asked.

"Come on. There's plenty of space," Ginny said, gesturing that he was to sleep next to her on the now-humongous armchair.

"Er- I'll be fine, thanks," Malfoy said, still in disbelief.

"I don't want you to fall sick on me tomorrow morning, Malfoy. Shut up and lie down already."

"Fine."

Ginny scooted closer to the back of the armchair, giving Malfoy ample amount of space to lie down on. Malfoy kicked off his shoes and left his wand under the armchair, before bringing his legs up onto the chair as well. He laid down on his right side, facing Ginny. She threw part of Malfoy's cloak over him, indicating that they were to share the make-shift blanket. He slowly moved so that he was covered partially by it as well, all the while ensuring that Ginny had enough covering from it. Then he saw that Ginny was looking at him expectantly. He stared blankly back at her.

"Well, we can't both be facing each other to sleep. Do you want to turn or do I turn?" Ginny asked, rolling her eyes.

"Huh?" Malfoy could not understand just what on earth Ginny was doing.

"Never mind," Ginny said, huffing in impatience. Then she turned around to face the back of the chair, but back-scooted so that she was almost touching Malfoy. "Good night."

"Good night," Malfoy replied softly, quite plainly confused.

"By the way, you wouldn't happen to know what a Dugbog likes to eat, would you?"

"Er, Mandrakes?" Malfoy replied, his brows drawing together as he grew more confused.

"Oh yeah, that's right. Thanks." Ginny shifted a bit and finally settled down.

Malfoy gazed at the back of Ginny's head. She was completely still and her breathing had deepened.

"Ginny?"

There was no reply. Malfoy got up on one elbow to look over Ginny's shoulder, to see her face. The girl was fast asleep. Chuckling, Malfoy laid back down, scooting even closer so that he was practically spooning with Ginny. While Malfoy liked to call himself a gentleman as he _did _practice gentlemanly ways most of the time, he was not one who will pass up an oppurtunity to take advantage of a person. He was definitely no saintly, honourable Gryffindor. So he should and will definitely take advantage of his position in this case then.

He slowly moved his left arm so that it draped over Ginny's waist. Feeling her cold left hand, he gently held them in his own warm one, trying to lend her warmth. His legs were drawn up and he shifted them carefully so that Ginny's legs were warmed by his. Feeling comfortably drowsy suddenly, Malfoy snuggled closer, moving his head so that it was touching Ginny's back. Malfoy could smell the vanilla-scented perfume and apple-scented shampoo Ginny used. They were soft, light and sweet, so befitting of the girl wearing it. Malfoy had one last thought before his eyes crashed shut and he sank into his dreams.

'_I hope she doesn't throw me off the chair tomorrow morning._'

---

_**To be continued...**_


	11. Chapter 11

**DISCLAIMER****: I don't own anything except the story. **

**AUTHOR'S NOTES****: Written in response to the "48 Hours" challenge thrown out by Cheelalaucha in the forums. This story is quite AU, as I have omitted the fact that the Wizarding World is threatened by Lord Voldemort. The students are just leaving a quite ordinary life- well, as ordinary as magic can be. **

**Here's another quick follow-up. Please take note that I have never played with Tarot cards before and this chapter was entirely made up from stories I have read or heard. The meanings of the cards were adapted from Paranormality dot com, used to suit my ideas for where the story will be heading. So please excuse me if there are blatant, horrendous mistakes in the card readings. Enjoy.**

**---**

Chapter 11

"Bloody hell!"

Malfoy could not take it anymore. He sat up on the armchair, glaring in the semi-darkness at Ginny, who was still sleeping peacefully. Feeling extremely warm, he tossed the cloak off himself, trying to contain his fit of temper. He really wanted to throw a tantrum just then.

'_That girl's a bloody menace!_'

He got up from the chair, making sure that Ginny was still covered by his cloak and headed towards one of the windows in the room. He hoisted himself onto the sill, resting his back and head against the cold glass of the window. Feeling the cold seep into his heated skin, he shivered, but it gradually calmed him down. Closing his eyes, he took deep breaths to bring his racing heartbeat down. He had barely gotten any sleep since the night before. Opening his eyes, he looked out the window, seeing the line of sky above the horizon getting brighter, indicating dawn was breaking.

Throughout the entire night, Ginny had been shifting in her sleep. And she was quite violent in her moves, too. He had woken up from his deep sleep when he felt someone smacking him across the face, just to see Ginny lying on her back, the back of her left hand on his cheek. Although he had shifted throughout the night to accommodate her as well, it was all in vain. Ginny was just too active in her sleep- spreading her legs until they were uncomfortably, dangerously close to touching something they should not have been touching; her hands grabbing for something nonexistent, resulting in her grabbing something she _really _ should not have been grabbing; and sometime in the night nearly pushing Malfoy off the armchair.

'_Merlin knows how a pixie-lookalike like her can manage to sleep like a friggin' monster_,' Malfoy thought grimly. '_She didn't have to wake up to throw me off the chair. She did it in her sleep!_'

He continued to stay where he was, until the sun was halfway above the horizon. He then got up, grabbed his wand from under the armchair Ginny was sleeping on, before disappearing behind the doors of the washroom. He ignored the magical reflection in the mirror that was scowling at him from within its confinements, relieving himself first. Then realising his current appearance really was not something he would want to show Ginny, he quickly cast a few spells to freshen himself, and his clothes, up. He immediately felt better, grinning at his now-insanely good-looking reflection, in his own humble opinion of course. Satisfied with his appearance, he quietly opened the washroom door and let himself out.

Unable to return back to the land of dreams, Malfoy started walking around the room. Seeing that the fire in the fireplace was about to die, he threw in a few more logs, bringing it back to life. Bored once more, he stood up and looked around. Spying a deck of Tarot cards on a shelf, he reached for it. Fanning it open, he realised that the deck was thin because it was a deck containing only the Major Arcana cards. Satisfied, he reached for a book on the next shelf, a book to translate the meanings of the cards.

Sitting himself on the floor by the fireplace, he shuffled the cards slowly. He _had_ taken Divination in his third year, though he had later transferred to Arithmacy classes due to the fact that he did not understand the nonsense spouting from the insect-like Trelawney's lips, and neither did he have the patience to try or time to waste trying. One of the topics covered while he had still attended Divination classes, had been cartomancy. Focusing his attention onto the cards, he blocked other thoughts out of his head. Taking a deep breath, he laid five cards down, in a star pattern. The five cards were the five points of the star. He reached for the top most card first, flipping it to show its face.

"The Fool," Malfoy murmured, flipping through the pages of the book.

It was upright, signifying that there will be a beginning, most probably of journeys which may be possibly mental, physical or spiritual, for Malfoy. There was to be a beginning of a new life-cycle, to be exact. The card was of energy, force, happiness and optimism. It also meant that there will be an overturning of the status quo or existing states by unexpected happenings. There will be innocence, naivety, and spontaneity. He was about to have important decisions that he must make.

"What decisions?" Malfoy asked himself, staring blankly at the card.

The next card was the upright Lovers. It was an answer to the Fool. It signified harmony and union, his choices were to be made using intuition and not intellect. He will soon have difficult decisions to be made, but it was not necessarily about love. Malfoy frowned when he saw that the card meant he was to face some form of test and consideration about commitments. The card was of abstract thought, internal harmony and union, and the second sight. There was a possibility of facing a struggle between two paths.

"This just looks better and better. Doesn't tell me what I have to _do_," Malfoy muttered sarcastically. "And next we have... The Hanged Man?"

He will have devotion towards a worthwhile cause. However, there will be a temporary suspension of progress. He needed flexibility of mind and a willingness to adapt to changes to solve this problem. He was supposed to sacrifice something in the present to reap benefit in the future. There will be a waiting period before a rebirth and transformation. The circumstances will literally turn on his head.

"What? I'm supposed to lose my head? Or have my head used as a platter?" Malfoy was smiling wryly at the card. "Why on earth am I going to be facing this problem? I'm a Malfoy! Malfoys hardly ever face problems! Yeah, let's see what it says if I refuse to face them."

It was the Reversed Tower. It was a card of negativity. Malfoy's refusal to his problems would mean a restriction of desires and imprisonment. There would be drastic change that may rob the individual of freedom of expression, perhaps even bankruptcy and imprisonment- an imprisonment within a set of circumstances which cannot currently be altered, if Malfoy refused to face the problem. There would be sudden changes out of his control.

"Bloody hell, what is this?!" Malfoy grumbled, sulking. "And if I face my problems I will have... The World?"

An upright World meant that Malfoy would have accomplishment, fulfilment, and a completion of a personal cycle, series of events or chapter in life. He would then have a sense of repleteness.

"So I'm supposed to face this bloody problem that is coming my way so that I will have a sense of completion or I'm doomed to imprisonment?" Malfoy looked at his cards sourly. "Alright, one more then, to show me what I need to solve my problems."

He reshuffled the deck and laid a single card in the middle of the five cards. He flipped it over to see an upright Temperance. He needed a combination of co-operation and co-ordination to have innovation; diplomacy and maturity in dealing with certain matters to have successful negotiations; a placid and balanced temperament, as well as a good outlook, or literally having a temperance of harmony and balance; good management and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances.

"It keeps mentioning changing circumstances," Malfoy muttered as he tapped the cards thoughtfully. "So something big is about to happen and change my circumstances... I wonder what it is."

"Malfoy?"

Ginny was awake.

---

_**To be continued...**_


	12. Chapter 12

**DISCLAIMER****: I don't own anything except the story. **

**AUTHOR'S NOTES****: Written in response to the "48 Hours" challenge thrown out by Cheelalaucha in the forums. This story is quite AU, as I have omitted the fact that the Wizarding World is threatened by Lord Voldemort. The students are just leaving a quite ordinary life- well, as ordinary as magic can be. **

**Okay, so I've decided to go with AmelieFoy's idea of not getting Malfoy to do a reading for Ginny. She's right. He's getting a lil' **_**too**_** perfect for my liking. Warning! I'm about to UN-perfect that little bugger in the upcoming chapters, so be prepared! And, a Moke exists in JK Rowling's world. Thank you, to all my precious, reviewers. You guys are my muse! Read on and enjoy! **

**---**

Chapter 12

Malfoy looked up to see Ginny squinting at him with what seemed to be half-heavy eyelids. She was up on one elbow, her hair tousled from sleep half covering her face, his cloak sliding off her shoulders. He watched as she shivered from the cold winter air. Sitting up, Ginny pulled his cloak closer around her body, thankful for the warmth it offered her. Malfoy had quickly got up and silently stacked up the Major Arcana cards, returning the cards and the book back to their proper place. Turning around, he rubbed his hands together in nervousness.

"G-good morning," Malfoy said, unsure of what to say.

"What are you doing?" Ginny asked, yawning. She was still apparently half-asleep.

"Er," Malfoy said, playing for time as his brain whirled around for a good excuse. "Playing Solitaire."

Malfoy did not want Ginny to know that he knew how to read Tarot cards. Or that he actually believed in them enough to make a reading. Malfoys do not do or believe in such common wizarding things that are used to entertain or fool Muggles.

Ginny frowned, bringing her eyebrows together. Her half-asleep brain could not grasp what Malfoy was saying. "Solitaire?"

"You know, that Muggle card game for single players," Malfoy said.

"How do you play that?" Ginny asked.

"I'm not quite sure, actually," Malfoy admitted.

'_Out of a hundred a sixty two ways one can play cards I had to choose a stupid _Muggle _game_,' Malfoy angrily thought to himself.

Ginny looked at him, bemused. She was more awake now. "You just told me you were playing Solitaire less than a minute ago, Malfoy. Now you're telling me you don't know how to play it?"

"Well, I was _trying _to," Malfoy said, trying to cover up.

"What were you _actually _trying to do, Malfoy?" Ginny asked, giving the 'no-nonsense-now' tone.

"You got me," Malfoy said, shrugging. "Wanted to build a house."

"With_ Major Arcana _cards?" Ginny raised an eyebrow.

Malfoy was amazed by Ginny's extremely sharp eyes. He was sitting ten feet away from her and she could still tell what he was holding?

"Yes," Malfoy replied cautiously.

"What's the fun in that?!" Ginny demanded.

"Huh?"

"The whole point of building a house with Exploding Cards is to see whether you can stack the cards first or will the cards blow up in your face first," Ginny patiently explained.

"Oh."

"You don't do much of these games things, do you?"

"Nope. Prefer to spend my time on other, more fruitful things."

"Such as?"

"Singing a love song for my dear, dear Ginny," Malfoy sang.

Ginny snorted. "Cut with the Moke crap already, Malfoy."

Malfoy gave Ginny a mock glare. Without replying to her sentence, he picked his wand up before striding over to where his Transfigured violin was. He Transfigured it one more time and Ginny had to hold back a giggle. Malfoy was holding a shorter version of his violin, the top of the bridge cut, showing fewer curves. The violin now had steel strings and four fine-tuners instead. Malfoy had clearly intended to Transfigure it into a fiddle.

He picked it up, positioned himself and started.

"There once was a girl,

Whose hair was like fire,

She made my 'eart go round 'n round in a whirl,

But that ain't makin' me a liar!

I sat down 'n thou't,

'ow will I get this angel of mine,

For she ran from me 'n fought,

'verytime I try to tell her that she's so fine!

So I tried to get her att'ntion,

By telling her that her Potter's so full of air,

But woe! She didn't she my d'rection,

'n told me not to be unfair!

I went back home,

And cried a thous'nd tears,

Broke a few 'eirlooms,

Before I went to the 'eers!

They told me I 'ad no chance,

For this was Des'ny 'n Fate,

I told them, 'No, that ain't the tune I'm gonna dance',

And they laughed at me 'n just said 'You wait'!

Then one fine day,

I woke up and said ''ey!',

I had found a way,

To make her not say nay!

I follo'ed her into a room,

Just the two of us in it,

I lock'd the room,

Preparing m'self to get hit!

But then she fell in love,

With my g'looks 'n charm,

I thought I saw doves,

Until I realise 'twas the sound of the alarm!

Woe be me,

'Twas only a dream,

But then I promised to make 'er see,

'n came out with a scheme!

I dragged her into a closet,

'n kissed her senseless,

I 'ad my merry way with her in that closet,

Then she called me shameless!

So I told her,

My Ginny dear,

I'm 'erribly in love with you girl,

So won't you make my dream real?

To my joy,

She said yes,

Oh, she didn't act coy,

What she saw in me was all the Griffindor's guess!

We said our 'I dos',

'n bounced the bed springs,

Bou'ht a house with a damn good view,

'till I didn't realise I was tied in apron strings!

When we were old 'n gray,

'n our tots were all grown,

I'll still say,

'Hey, Ginny, I'm still amazed you're my own!'

Malfoy finished with a flourish, giving a grand bow. His cheeks were flushed, his chest was heaving and his fair blonde hair was all messed up. Throughout the entire song he had skipped and danced all around Ginny, making sure to keep his fiddling light and fast. He looked up to see Ginny snorting and gasping with laughter.

"M-Malfoy," Ginny chortled. "You suck at rhyming."

Malfoy shrugged. "I know. It was suppose to be a spontaneous thing. I don't think Shakespeare could have done better, given the circumstances, if I do say so myself."

"Tied in apron strings!" Ginny shrieked with laughter.

"What? I couldn't find anything else that rhymed with 'bed springs'!"

Ginny could not reply. She just flopped back down onto the armchair and continued laughing. This was priceless. Malfoy had just given her a grand fiddle performance, all the way skipping and hopping around the room. It completely contrasted with his normally perfectly regal posture, making Malfoy look extremely comical. Her laughter finally died down and she got up to see Malfoy staring at her.

"What 'chu starin' at, Malfoy," Ginny said, adopting his earlier way of speaking.

"Ah, the beauty I see, in front of me!" Malfoy replied, catching on.

"Ain't gonna play that game, bad boy," Ginny said, snorting. "Get real."

"But my love for you is as real as the sun!"

"Why the sun?"

"'Cause it's big, it's burnin' and it's hot," Malfoy said, tongue in cheek. "Like my hunka hunka love for you!"

Ginny tore out peals of laughter once more.

---

_**To be continued...**_


End file.
